Bronze for Varsity Eight at Pac-12's

GOLD RIVER, Calif. – The No. 10 Stanford men's rowing varsity eight placed third in its grand final at the Pac-12 Rowing Championships Sunday morning at Lake Natoma, near Sacramento.

The Cardinal, which totaled 49 points to place fourth as a team at the conference championships regatta, was one point shy of Oregon State for third place. Washington (72 points) won the conference championship regatta and California (65 points) placed second.
 
Following the conclusion of Sunday's Pac-12 Championships, senior Brendan Larkin, who rowed in the bow seat of the second varsity eight, was honored as the Pac-12 Men's Rowing Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

"The varsity eight third-place finish qualified our team for the IRA championships," Stanford men's rowing head coach Craig Amerkhanian said. "Our goal is to race even better at the Nationals."
 
Stanford's varsity eight captured the bronze, taking third by a length over Oregon State with a time of 5:51.972. The Cardinal, behind Washington and California, built an open-water advantage over Washington State for third by the midpoint of the race. Oregon State took over fourth place from Washington State, and tied to gain on Stanford. The Cardinal held off the Beavers by a length at the finish line to take home the bronze. Washington won the varsity eight grand final with a time of 5:36.321, while California placed second with a time of 5:40.567.
 
In a thrilling second varsity eight race, Stanford edged Oregon State for the bronze by the slimmest of margins. However, a ruling following a protest from Oregon State resulted in the Beavers being awarded third place in the race. 
 
The race was a battle throughout the course between both crews. With Washington and California taking over the top two spots, Stanford settled into third place after 500 meters. Oregon State made a hard charge and took over third from the Cardinal at 750 meters. The Cardinal responded with a move of its own to push its bow back ahead for third place. Stanford kept its momentum going with a two-seat lead over OSU for third place at the midpoint of the course. The Cardinal continued to build its advantage over the Beavers with a four-seat lead at the 1,250-meter mark. Oregon State took water away from Stanford and attempted to pull even with the Cardinal near the end of the course. Prior to the results change, Stanford held off OSU at the finish, crossing the line by inches before OSU with a time of 5:57.592 to Oregon State's time of 5:57.880.
 
Stanford's third varsity eight placed fourth with a time of 6:10.014 in its grand final. With Washington taking the top spot (5:45.085) and California placing second (5:47.491), Stanford battled Oregon State for the final medal position. The Beavers (6:05.300) held off the Cardinal at the finish, crossing the line with a time of 6:05.300.
 
The Pac-12 Network will televise the Pac-12 Championships, with the broadcast airing at 10:30 a.m. PT on Sunday, May 21.
 
Stanford will return to Lake Natoma June 2-4 for the Intercollegiate Rowing Association Championships, seeding for the championship regatta will be announced this coming week.

Pac-12 Championships Results